Credit: The Circle

Howwework

How we work

We know that to bring about lasting change, we need to work together – make connections, use our influence, use our skills and raise funds. Once we’ve got a plan of action and something to say, it’s vital to spread the word and inspire others to act. So we focus our work on four key functions:

Connecting

The Circle is a unique networking hub.
We bring women together to discuss relevant issues, inspire each other, share ideas and offer advice in order to create and generate transformational change. We leverage and broker access to people who can make a difference.

For example… We are currently working on a project with friends of Marie Colvin, the Sunday Times journalist who was killed in 2012 in Homs, Syria, creating a peer-to-peer connecting network for female journalists working in conflict zones.

Advising

We can provide expert advice from women who are leaders in their field.

For example… Among our members are top human rights lawyers who carried out an extensive research project, analysing the implementation of the Maputo Protocol, which addresses the rights of women in Sub-Saharan Africa. Their objective was to create a research document which could be used as an advocacy tool to effect positive change and protection with regard to the legal rights of women in Africa. The report, which focused on the implementation of the Protocol in Kenya, was launched in October 2014 and is now being used by national and international organisations.

Amplifying

Together, as contributors to the global women’s movement, we bring attention to important issues, amplifying the voices of vulnerable women.

For example… To raise awareness about International Women’s Day, we were involved in supporting a short film directed by Sam Taylor-Wood and featuring actor Daniel Craig. The film has been viewed over two million times on YouTube.

Funding

Working with respected partners, we seek out and support impactful projects by mobilising funds and ensuring the most effective return on investment.

For example… Through our partnership with Oxfam, The Circle has funded the creation of community protection groups within 28 communities in the Democratic Republic of Congo. These groups raise people’s awareness of the law and their rights, they enable them to identify and share information about local support services and link them with their local authorities so they can work together to make their communities safer. As part of this work, over 67,000 people have now been made aware of the rights of women and a survey of women in the communities reported 70% know where and how to report human right abuses and feel secure in doing so. In March 2015, women in 4 of these communities held events on International Women’s Day to bring women together to discuss the issues they face in realising their rights.